U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress

Abstract

Special Operations Forces (SOF) are small, elite military units with special training and equipment that can infiltrate into hostile territory through land, sea, or air to conduct a variety of operations, many of them classified. SOF personnel undergo rigorous selection and lengthy, specialized training. The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) oversees the training, doctrine, and equipping of all U.S. SOF units. SOF personnel play a significant role in U.S. military operations and the Administration has given U.S. SOF greater responsibility for planning and conducting worldwide counterterrorism operations. Potential increased SOF involvement in Pakistan and SOF expansion mandated by the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) might be issues for congressional consideration. This report will be updated as events warrant.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 16, 2008
Accession Number
ADA482798

Entities

People

  • Andrew Feickert

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Army Rangers
  • Green Berets
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Training
  • National Security
  • Psychological Operations
  • Rotary Wing Aircraft
  • Seal Teams
  • Special Forces
  • Special Operations Forces
  • Tanker Aircraft
  • United States Special Operations Command
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3